Northern pike in Montana

Montana waters

Most fished first. A species missing from an agency list does not mean it is absent; this page lists only waters whose list names it (at least 5 are needed for a page).

• Yellowstone RiverAgency list: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
• Blackfoot RiverAgency list: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
• Clark Fork RiverAgency list: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
• Bitterroot RiverAgency list: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
• Jefferson RiverAgency list: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks

Identification

• Northern pike show light spots on a darker body: green or blue-gray above with many roundish yellow spots on the sides.[1]
  What the source says

  “The overall color pattern consists of light spots against a darker background. The upper parts are green or blue gray, with numerous roundish yellow spots on the sides.”

• The cheek is fully scaled but the gill cover only on its upper half, and there are 5 sensory pores along each side of the lower jaw.[1]
  What the source says

  “Northern pike is distinguished from other pike by having the cheek fully scaled, but the gill cover scaled only on the upper half, and in having a row of 5 sensory pores along each side of the lower jaw.”

• Minnesota DNR's foolproof test: count the pores under one side of the jaw. A muskie has six or more; a northern pike has five or fewer.[2]
  What the source says

  “The foolproof way to tell a muskie from a northern pike is to count the pores on one side of the underside of the jaw. A muskie has six or more. A northern has five or fewer.”

More on identifying northern pike

Status, protections and rules

As each agency stated them on the date read; a rule applies only where its agency says so. Check the current regulations for the water before you fish.

• Alaska Department of Fish and Game classes northern pike as an invasive species in Southcentral Alaska.[3]
  What the source says

  “For this reason, in Southcentral, the northern pike is an invasive species.”

• In Alaska, moving live fish, including pike, from one water to another is illegal: a Class A misdemeanor with a $10,000 penalty (ADF&G).[3]
  What the source says

  “You certainly cannot take fish, including pike, from one waterway and "seed" them into another. It is illegal (Class A misdemeanor with a $10,000 penalty) and can cause major problems.”

• Washington (WDFW) classes northern pike as a prohibited aquatic invasive species; keeping or moving live pike is illegal there.[4]
  What the source says

  “Northern pike are a prohibited species everywhere they exist in Washington. It is illegal to retain or transport live pike in our state.”

• WDFW asks anglers who catch a pike in a new area to kill it at once rather than release it, photograph it, and report it.[4]
  What the source says

  “If anglers catch northern pike in new areas, WDFW asks that they kill the pike immediately and do not release it, take a photo, and report it by calling 1-888-WDFW-AIS, email at ais@dfw.wa.gov”

Destination hubs

Hubs that list one of these waters, or that a water page is near: each has guides, shops, licences and trip planning for the area.

• Missoula, Montana3 northern pike waters
• Bozeman & Livingston, Montana2 northern pike waters
• Ennis & the Madison Valley, Montana1 northern pike water

Sources

Every fact on this page is our paraphrase of the page cited beside it, read on the date shown. Rules and seasons change: check the agency's current regulations before you fish.

1. Northern Pike | Missouri Department of Conservation Missouri Department of Conservation, read Oct 24, 2026.
2. Muskellunge | Minnesota DNR Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, read Oct 24, 2026.
3. Invasive Northern Pike, Alaska Department of Fish and Game Alaska Department of Fish and Game, read Oct 24, 2026.
4. Northern pike | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, read Oct 24, 2026.